After reading a positive review of "the awakened mage" and the conclusion "the awakened mage" I purchased a copy with high expectations. Unfortunately, the books failed to meet these.
What I liked about the story is the overall setting: two different races in one kingdom, the reason Barls wall was built, and the funny way the main character Asher deals with some of the problems heīs presented with.
Itīs not a bad thing that Asher rises from a simple fisherman to counsilor of the king and powerful magician - many great fantasy works have the same setup. Unfortunately though, the story lacks twists, turns and surprises; itīs all quite foreseeable. There are very few characters, and these are all one-dimensional. Furthermore, I found the main character Asher very unsympathetic and hard to relate to.